Honda announces its withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2021

The announcement comes as a huge surprise. This Friday morning at around 10 a.m., Honda suddenly confirmed its withdrawal from the F1, where the Japanese entity acts as engine manufacturer of the couple Red Bull Racing - Alpha Tauri, at the end of the 2021 season.

A thunderclap for a brand that has returned with fanfare with the new formation of a legendary duo from the 80s and 90s with McLaren in 2015. A period where the relationship had not been the most productive, all before Sakura made an alliance with the Red Bull clan in 2018, first with Toro Rosso, then from 2019 with Red Bull Racing.

“Meanwhile, as the automotive industry undergoes a period of great transformation that you only see every 100 years, Honda has decided to strive to “achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” specifies the official press release from the manufacturer.

This goal will be pursued as part of Honda's environmental initiatives, which is one of the main priorities as a manufacturer of mobility products. To this end, Honda must channel its research and development resources into the areas of future technologies around powertrains and energy, including fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies, which will be at the heart of carbon-free technologies.

As part of this initiative, in April this year, Honda established a new center called Innovative Research Excellence, Power Unit & Energy. Honda will transfer its energy and fuel management technologies as well as knowledge accumulated from F1 activities to this area and take initiatives while focusing on achieving carbon neutrality in the future. To this end, Honda has made the decision to end its participation in F1.

Motorsport is part of Honda's DNA and as a result, Honda will continue to be passionate about taking on challenges and striving to become No.1 in every racing category Honda is engaged in. .

In F1, in order to meet the expectations of its fans, Honda will collaborate with Red Bull Racing and the Team AlphaTauri to continue competing and trying to get more wins until the end of the 2021 season.”

An announcement which therefore leaves Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri without an engine manufacturer by 2022, the date on which a major overhaul of the technical regulations is expected.

Discover more information on the announcement of Honda's withdrawal from F1, in AUTO issue 2281hebdo, available from next Monday in digital version and from next Wednesday on newsstands.